Owl shows Kinglake recovery continues

Thursday 1 February, 2018

As the ninth anniversary of the Black Saturday fires approaches, some wise creatures are showing signs that nature around Kinglake is continuing to do what it does best - recover, regenerate and flourish.

Parks Victoria rangers were excited late last year during some surveying work to find a Powerful Owl in the Wallaby Creek section of Kinglake National Park.

This is the first confirmed sighting of one of these owls since the fires in 2009.

Powerful owls are top level predators, so for them to return to the area, it means a whole lot of other positive things are going on as well.

Vegetation is maturing and diversifying and possums are returning in good numbers as they feed on the plants.

Possums are one of the Powerful Owl’s main sources of food, so as the possums thrive, the owls return.

Quotes attributable to Tony Fitzgerald, Ranger, Parks Victoria:

“After a big fire, the habitat changes and we are continuing to see these changes nine years down the track.”

“This journey of recovery will continue for many years to come. Along the way Parks Victoria will work to support the recovery of our environment as a whole, and certain species in particular.”